Suspected gunmen kidnapped ten police officers of the Nasarawa State Command in Kogi State on Sunday.

The police personnel were returning from Osun State, where they were posted as part of the police contingent in the just concluded governorship election in the state.

They were kidnapped in Obajana area of Kogi state.

“On July 17, 2022, about 11:05 a.m., information was received from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Obajana that gunshots were heard along New By-Pass Road, close to Trailer Park, PTI Obajana.

“The DPO immediately mobilised patrol teams to the scene, where they met one white 18-seater passenger bus with registration number: GWA 295 YR, driven by one Usman Abdullah with six occupants.

“The seven persons identified themselves as officers from Nasarawa State Police Command returning from the Osun governorship election.

“They narrated that their vehicle developed a mechanical fault, and while trying to fix the vehicle, armed men emerged from the bush and kidnapped 10 officers,” the newspaper reported.

An anti-kidnapping squad has reportedly been deployed to the area to track the criminals, it added.

Kogi State, in central Nigeria, is increasingly becoming a haven for criminal elements. Kidnap-for-ransom gangs target travellers.

PT